Cellulose aerogels prepared from cellulose/AmimCl solutions

Abstract

Cellulose aerogel materials were prepared by combining dissolving cellulose in an ionic liquid, 1-allyl-3- methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl), and drying in supercritical CO2. The rheological properties of the cellulose solutions of different concentrations and their gels regenerated in different coagulation baths were studied. The porous structure and morphology of cellulose aerogels were found to be affected by cellulose concentration and nature of the coagulation bath. With increasing initial cellulose concentration, the porous structure of cellulose aerogels became more dense and uniform, leading to the gradual decrease of the specific surface area. Further, it was also observed that, both viscosity and the polarity of coagulation bath affected the structure of cellulose aerogels. High specific surface area cellulose aerogel materials could be prepared by controlling the experimental conditions. The obtained cellulose aerogels had relatively high char yield at elevated temperature, which makes them potential precursors for fabrication of novel mesoporous carbon materials.